Sean Dyche handed January boost as Everton star makes huge decision

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Everton have been handed boost after boost in recent weeks, as they continue their fine resurgence.

Having suffered from back-to-back relegation battles, this was a club sick of wallowing at the bottom of the Premier League given their history dictates challenges at the opposite end.

However, such success has been sparse, without silverware in decades and without consistency arguably since David Moyes left.

At last that seems set to change under Sean Dyche though, with one player key to his revitalisation of the Toffees, Abdoulaye Doucoure.

Having joined for £20m under Carlo Ancelotti, it feels like only now are fans seeing the best of the Mali international, who has forged a deep bond with the club.

So much so that, as reported by Click Liverpool, the 30-year-old is set to snub a call-up from his national side in order to continue playing for Everton, choosing domestic football over the African Cup of Nations set to run from January into February.

The former Watford man would note: ‘I don’t think I’m going to make the Africa Nations Cup, to be honest. I think I’m going to stay here in an Everton shirt. I don’t want to go.

‘It’s not a big, big decision because I went only one time for the Mali national team. I want to focus really on my career and on the club. I have all the respect for my country, but I am going to stay here. It was very hard for me [in January], but I never give up.’

He would then speak on how even the adversity of the previous management could not cloud his love for the club, stating: ‘Nobody can break me. I’m still here, fighting for the club. All of my career, I was always playing. I only had this problem with the previous manager, which wasn’t working.

‘I’m still here, still happy, still alive and looking for more. The priority was always to stay, but I was at the end of the contract, and Everton had to make a decision. In the end, it worked well because my wish was always to stay, and we found a good agreement.’

How good is Abdoulaye Doucoure?

Doucoure’s influence on his team nowadays cannot be understated, with his turnaround under Dyche arguably a microcosm for the development made as a whole under the 52-year-old.

In fact, last season saw him undoubtedly grow into one of their most influential players, bouncing back from being frozen out by Frank Lampard to fire them to safety, even earning a new contract to become the club’s highest-earner.

His tally of five goals and two assists across the league term was an admirable one, including key strikes in draws with Nottingham Forest and Chelsea, as well as a vital thunderbolt in their nervy final-day win over AFC Bournemouth.

And yet already he is set to emulate such form this season too, with three goals after just 11 games in games where they have claimed a total of seven points.

That is without mentioning his immense work rate too, with the £120k-per-week maestro a key cog in the system that is finally bearing fruit.

His ability to relentlessly press alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and the fact that he has paired such fine offensive figures with 4.7 ball recoveries per game in the Premier League, further emphasises his importance.

To have him throughout that key month will prove a huge boost for Dyche, seeking to ensure that their top-flight status is secured well before the last game of the season.